Search This Blog

Why I Play Video Games & Why You Should Too

Nearly 1500 words on why gaming means so much to me and why - contrary to what some people think - it's more than just a hobby.

The question “Why Do You Play Games?” gets
thrown around a lot. Whether it be on a podcast, videos on YouTube, or a
question in an AMA, it’s something that we as a society (by which I mean the
people who play video games) are fascinated by, and for good reason. It’s rare
to get the same answer twice, at least if you delve in to the question a little
deeper. Many people simply say “I like killing things, it helps me relax” or “I
play them for the story” or “I like to escape from the real world”, but looking
into those statements further can reveal lots of things about a person, or at
least the part of them that lives in the world of video games.

So, why do I play games? Truth be told, I’ve drafted the following paragraph
numerous times. Each rehash showcasing a different reason, a different answer,
a different way of defining why video games have always been a part of my life
in some form or another. Honestly, I think the reason that we play games
changes constantly. Humans change constantly because the circumstances around
them change constantly, sometimes this is in our control; most of the time it
isn’t. This means we can have a new reason to play video games each and every
day – and that is probably the reason we keep coming back.

It could be that we’ve lost someone, or
something so we want to escape to a world where we aren’t held responsible for
our actions, and where we can express the sadness, and the anger at what’s
happened.

We’ve just finished something stressful, onerous,
or particularly challenging and so we want to blow off some steam and
congratulate ourselves: time to start a new adventure, go beyond what we’ve
done before and make sure that the world (albeit a fake one) is saved once
again.

I think what’s key in what I just wrote is
in the expression that we humans need to have. I personally find it hard to
express myself a lot of the time, a reason why I love writing so much as it
lets people look past everything else and just see the words on a page: that
simplicity is a key part of why I continue to come back to write on Gamotere
every week. Video games themselves might not be simple, but what they help
people to do – at least in essence - can be.

In something else I’m drafting right now
about changing the minds of the people who don’t believe in video games,
something I touch on is the idea of games being just a thing in which gamers
kill stuff. I hate that definition as a blanket statement, but there is
something to it. Sometimes that simplicity, the idea that “Alright, today I
just need to do some damage in a
place where there are no repercussions” is something not only very powerful,
but almost unique to video games. What other industry can boast an outlet where
people can shape the world around them completely and actually see it grow, evolve and build around
them and then – if they so wish – just crash and burn?

In what other industry can a story be
completely tailored to the person experiencing it, to the extent that an action
five hours in can affect something over 30 later? For that matter, where else is
such a time commitment demanded by the product?

The power of video games is to do things
that TV, movies and books simply can’t. They can’t engross to the level a game
can simply because you aren’t directly involved in what’s happening on the
screen or page – someone else has decided that beforehand. While the same is
true – on some level – in a game, you still have to be directly involved. You
still have to press X, push the left-stick forward, keep going no matter how
hard things are getting and be cognisant of what’s actually going on around
you.

And, in video games – unlike any other form
of media – you can be bad. As Irish
comedian Dara O’Briain said brilliantly in a stand-up comedy act once, you
can’t be bad at reading a book or watching a movie, but you can be bad a
shooting bad-guys or upgrading a character properly or completing a quest.

And, more than anything else, that presents
a challenge to those who play. While the puzzle game genre is its own,
oft-looked-unfavourably upon section of the industry, each video game can be
seen as a puzzle of sorts: get from A to B; find the ingredients for potion X;
kill bad-guy Y. In each instance a challenge is presented, and you – the player
– has to overcome that challenge and get past each hurdle along the way.

This – I think – is a part of why people
continually come back to games: everyone loves a challenge. And, of course, as
in the games themselves, you can opt for which difficulty you want: something
like Ratchet & Clank would be “Easy” or “Normal” and Dark Souls III would
be “Expert”. While the difficulty of games may alienate some from a particular
franchise – like I’m sure the Souls series has with many – I think having that
more hardcore game is essential: there’s nothing quite like the feeling after
beating a Dark Souls/Bloodborne boss and getting to the end of a game of that
ilk is like candy for some people, and a very necessary candy at that – you
need the tough to make the easy seem easy.

But, as I said before, I don’t think the
reason for gaming can be defined in one simple paragraph. For me, the need for challenge
also pairs with the need to explore new worlds and understand and witness
stories within them, I think that’s why something like The Witcher or Skyrim
resonated with me to such an extent: because all of the things I’ve listed here
were present.

It’s no secret that video games as a
medium, and the people that play or work on them are often looked upon in a
light different to most other industries. I think this is partially down to the
simple fact that people are scared of change. But I bet you that almost 100% of
the people that talk crap about games have never played one, or at least not
since they’ve progressed to wonderful, new, incredible places.

Of course, there will always be a place for
the Pongs and Yar’s Revenges of this world, but things have changed a lot since
then and continue to do so. Every day a new game is released that pushes the
boundaries just that little bit further, and paves the way for the next Last Of
Us, Legend Of Zelda, Grand Theft Auto or game that no-one has heard a single
thing about.

In truth, that’s why I play games: the idea
that I can be surprised whenever I press play, that I can be astounded after
putting a disc into a console or amazed when I see a new trailer. The innovation
that is a natural part of the games industry is, I think, why people constantly
return to the medium and the ever-evolving exploration, stories, challenges,
and adventures that await are an integral part of that and one, I hope, will
never go away.

Games are more than just a hobby, they’re a
way of life, and one that allows you to live lives you never thought possible.
So, do yourself a favour: go play a video game; I promise you won’t regret it.